Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I welcomed the first school from our community of Lindsay to Parliament House, St Marys North Public School and today I welcome St Nicholas of Myra. We had a Q&A with St Nicholas, and one of the students asked me: 'How will Western Sydney infrastructure cope with population growth?'—a question good enough for question time. The Morrison Liberal government is delivering congestion-busting infrastructure, with projects such as Dunheved and Mulgoa roads. We're investing $63½ million to upgrade Dunheved Road and providing funding for extra commuter parking at Kingswood, Emu Plains and St Marys stations.

There was another question from a student today relating to astrophysics and jobs in the space industry. As part of the development of Western Sydney Airport, the construction of the Sydney Science Park will be a $5 billion integrated science, research and residential facility. And we have the aerotropolis, creating local jobs—in agriculture, local produce exported to Asia and the world, in tourism and advanced manufacturing; and world-class space manufacturing capability that could boost and transform our national space industry. This was delivered to the delight of the kids today. Our bright young students of Lindsay are thinking about their future, and that is why I am committed to creating more local jobs for today and for the future.

By 2026, the airport will have opened, and the students I met today will be 18 and 19, entering universities, training and the workforce. Ensuring our education institutions are educating our kids in the jobs of the future is what I'll always fight for. Meeting those students and having that connection with our local community even in Canberra is important for any member of parliament. Everything we do is for our local communities and for our local people because they're the reason why we are here.

Our job is to look after hardworking families. That is why I was proud that in my first week of parliament we passed legislation to provide tax relief for over 77,000 hardworking people in Lindsay. In Lindsay, nearly 15,000 small and medium sized businesses are benefiting from tax relief, legislated by the Morrison government and taking advantage of the instant asset write-off scheme to invest in machinery and equipment.

These measures help businesses such as Emu Plains Automotive Repairs, Bubbles Florist, Kingswood Florist and cafes in Penrith—all of those I mentioned in my maiden speech—The Natural Choice, Thor's Cafe, Bethany's, and Ratha's Place. All of these businesses that I mentioned are run by local families who employ local people in our community. These are people who spend most of their lives, sometimes seven days a week, working hard to contribute to make our society better and to provide the services and products that we rely on.

The Morrison Liberal government is investing in community services and infrastructure to support and encourage healthy and active communities in Lindsay. The Penrith Whitewater Stadium will receive funding to transform its high-performance centre with new athlete and visitor facilities, and the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre will undergo much needed refurbishment. These local facilities are accessed by our families, our kids and tourists. The Chapman Gardens Sports Precinct transformation in Kingswood includes amenities' upgrades to the softball and football fields and to the cricket pitch. We're investing in the Nepean River to help with native revegetation and weed management so that our local families can enjoy our beautiful river and the natural environment. When I asked students today if they took time out to enjoy the river on weekends with their families, every single child and every single teacher put up their hand and said yes. It is very important. It is the heart of our Lindsay community.

Our Community Safety Package will fund lighting on the Great River Walk between Jamison Road and Nepean Avenue and provide CCTV cameras in St Marys, Kingswood, Werrington and Penrith CBD. Local families and small-business owners deserve to feel safe, and this investment will promote a stronger community. I spoke recently about the Cranebrook breakfast club. They'll get a new 12-seater bus. We know that each week this community service provides 500 breakfasts to kids and families who might otherwise not have something good to eat.

I want the students I met today—our young people of the future—to have the opportunity, as they become adults, to stay where they live and access employment and lifestyle opportunities. I thank the students for being so passionate and look forward to welcoming more schools to parliament.

House adjourned at 20:02